Autonomous delivery's viability grows

As consumers demand more convenient fulfillment while technology improves and costs fall, the prospect for autonomous delivery is growing. The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic could create a perfect storm of factors that finally make things like drones and delivery robots ripe for adoption. "The pandemic has increased the viability of autonomous delivery," says Michael Ramsey, vice president and analyst who covers the automotive industry and smart mobility at Gartner. "It's one more box that they can check for in saying'this makes sense.'" No one is certain what the "new normal" will look like, but many agree that greater social distancing could be a part of our future.